Windows 8 Pro, Tablets, & The Future of Gaming

This week saw the release of the Windows Surface Pro running a full version of the Windows 8 OS. In spite of the mix reviews, the new tablet has sold better than expected. Nonetheless, what has caught my attention is how well it runs various video games (see for example a recent Forbes article). Hence, after seeing the initial success of Windows Surface Pro (and also the early impressions of the Razer Edge Pro gaming tablet), I am very excited to see where the future lies in PC gaming. I will therefore discuss how Windows 8 Pro together with such Windows 8 Pro tablets could lead to an exciting future for the PC gamer.

As much as I love my iPad and its capabilities, what I desire from a tablet is to be able to do everything I can on my Mac or PC on it. I would love to be able to use it for not only for web surfing, reading texts, and PDF annotations, but for creating word processing documents, spreadsheets, as well as multimedia presentations. Windows 8 Pro tries to fill this whole in the market by allowing users to have a full computer OS on a tablet; thus attempting to be a bridge for the tablet and personal computer. And since this is a blog dedicated to gaming, what is intriguing is how tablets running Windows 8 Pro will allow users to play full PC games on a tablet.

For me, it would be a dream having the chance to play FIFA 13, Guild Wars 2, Company of Heroes 2, and Skyrim on a portable device. No longer would I be limited to a location for playing my favorite games (yes, laptops offer this as well, but gaming laptops are often larger than a portable ultrabook computer). With such a device, I would have the chance to link my Steam and Origin accounts to my tablet. This in itself would be a reason to get a one of these new and upcoming Windows 8 tablets.

An additional point to this article is that the gaming aspect could consequently push Windows 8 Pro tablets over the edge and make them a great alternative to both iOS and Android devices. Windows 8 has struggled being adapted to this point. But I believe making it relevant to gamers, especially as it pertains hardcore gamers, through providing a full OS and hardware capable of running the latest games (albeit not particularly at the highest graphical settings), this will make Windows 8 relevant. Since Windows has been tied to gamers for many years, it would be wise for Microsoft to take advantage of this mutual relationship. It has been the hardcore gamers that have help keep the PC alive, and by making tablets fully game capable, it can keep Microsoft profits strong in the foreseeable future. For this reason, these tablets could change the face of PC gaming and Microsoft itself.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please feel free to post a comment below. Thanks for reading.

My Gaming Accessories Part I: Razer Naga

I am going to start a short series regarding what gaming accessories I use in my gaming, mainly as it pertains to PC gaming. But I will also include some accessories that can be used on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 as well.

Today, I'd like to start with one of my favorite mice I've owned thus far: the Razer Naga. The Razer Naga is a unique product that is specifically made for the MMO gamer in mind. It boasts a 5700DPI laser sensor which feels very precise. Nevertheless, what makes the mouse so unique is the 12-button input on the left side. These 12-buttons can be configured independently or follow your keyboards default numbers or keypad. This makes it easy for using certain spells or macros during in-game combat.

Now, I am not trying to bore you with a comprehensive review. The Naga has been around for a while and you can find plenty of reviews of this mouse online. With that, the Naga makes MMOs a more pleasurable experience. Why? When you have so many buttons and configurations at your fingertips, it is no longer a frustrating affair trying to click with your mouse on certain icons or scrambling while scrambling during an intense fight. How many of us have had their avatar die because we clicked on the wrong button or hitting the wrong key. This mouse helps prevent this from occurring. And if you're wondering, it didn't take that long for me to get use to using the 12-input. It was quite intuitive, and Razer even includes adhesive pads to put on the keypad so you can easily navigate around the buttons.

Mind you, I have used standard mice for MMOs with success. However, after using the Naga I will never go back to using a standard mouse for MMOs. The Naga's precision, 17-button configuration (in addition to the 12-button input as seen above), and comfort of use makes this mouse ideal for the MMO gamer.

Just as an FYI. I have a good friend who uses the Cyborg M.M.O.7 and swears by it. The 6400DPI and the 90, yes 90, programable commands makes this mouse a great value. However, I have not taken the opportunity to try this mouse to see how well it works. And since some people have complained of the quality of its laser sensor, I am reluctant to purchase the mouse so I can give it a go. But if you are looking for similar alternatives, the Cyborg as well as the Logitech G600, are mice to check out for the MMO gamer.

Here We Go Again: Let's Blame Video Games for Violence

Sadly, with every horrible mass killing -- such as the shootings in Aurora, Newton, and recently in New Mexico -- video games become a leading suspect as a means to influencing our youth to kill. This idea has even caused the federal government once again to take a look into the effects of video games on its consumers. However, do video games cause people to become savage killers? Do violent video games create future mass murders? Well let me wipe these fears away by saying that the research says it's inconclusive whether violent video games lead to violent behavior such as on the scale of recent events.

To get a better understanding of this conclusion, last year I undertook an independent study examining the effects of video games on violence. In this course I was introduced to the Iowa State University researchers, mainly C. A. Anderson, who suggest that video games lead to aggressive behavior. These researchers, using various quasi techniques to gauge aggressive behavior, have concluded that video games may eventually lead to violent behavior.

However, through my research I was introduced to Ferguson and J. A. Anderson's research on violence and media. Ferguson's work is very interesting as it directly relates to video games. He argued that video games cannot be easily associated with violent behavior. He found that as video games sales have exponentially increased in the past decade,  youth violence has decreased. Ferguson maintained that if video games were leading to violent behavior, the increase in sales of video games would correlate with an increase in violence in youths. But that is not the case. 

Furthermore, defining aggressive behavior is very problematic. What is aggressive behavior? Some studies that suggest violent media leads to violent behavior define aggressive behavior as merely someone thinking about being aggressive. Since researchers cannot ethically let their participants engage in violent behavior, other studies attempt to quantify violence through surveys of a gamers' feelings or excitement through gameplay. Thinking about about aggressive behavior or exhibiting excited behavior is much different than shooting 20 children at pointblank range. For these reasons, it is very difficult to know that being upset playing an FPS will lead to a person going on a massive killing spree. 

The facts just aren't there to truly show that violent video games, What the facts do say is that witnessing or experiencing violence in the home and/or in a person's community can influence a person to be violent way more than playing a violent video game. This is what does correlate with violent behavior, not just simply playing Grand Theft Auto.

Love to hear your thoughts on this. Post on the comments below.

Things I Learned in Game Design

This past semester I took a game design course with the Film and Media Arts Department at the University of Utah. Even though I am a PhD  student with the Communication Department, I wanted to understand gaming from a development standpoint to enhance and give more depth to my research. This course has opened my eyes to video games and the complexities that are inherent in production. Since my perspective has been limited to seeing video games from a cultural perspective, it has been enlightening to see video games from a production and technical aspect. Therefore, I would like to discuss some of the ideas I learned from taking this amazing course.

Now, before I go on you may be wondering: What does the comic above have to do with game design and what you learned? Well the person at the center of this comic happens to be the instructor for this class. Roger Altizer was immortalized by the popular webcomic Penny Arcade. His photograph from a gaming convention was coincidentally spotted by the Penny Arcade folks and it resulted in this comic. Nevertheless, Roger is a wonderful instructor with deep insights on gaming, narrative, and game mechanics. Now, Roger is best known for this caricature than anything else. Nonetheless, his perspective and the curriculum for the course has enabled me see outside of the closed doors of the Communication Department and see games in a new light.

Well for one, I learned about the depth and breadth of design. It isn't just having an idea and then merely running with it. However, there are steps to developing an idea and moving it to the production stage. It is a complex process that takes much thought. At the end of the semester, for example, we had to create a game design document for a game we could realistically create. For me, coming from a humanities background, envisioning a game was a challenge. But through creating the document, I came to appreciate the meticulous details that come with designing a game. As Roger noted, you need to walk through the game from its opening screen so you can understand how the game will look and how it will feel. Thus, designing a game is more complicated then a game commercial would indicate.

I also came to understand the importance of game mechanics and gameplay over narrative and thematic elements. As Roger pointed out throughout the semester, gameplay is what makes a game fun and playable. For instance, he pointed out the narrative of Angry Birds. Even though we may have an understanding of the overall story, it is the game play that made it such a resounding success. Another example used was World of Warcraft. Despite the game's lore and history, most people quickly click through the quest text and merely go out and complete quests. They are more focus on playing the game rather than focusing exclusively on the narrative. Taking this understanding into account, video game designers need to focus on gameplay elements before focusing on narrative and theme. Gameplay  hence is what keeps a person consuming the game.

Lastly, what I found interesting, especially from a cultural perspective, is that gaming is becoming a universal language. In the course, we had people from all over the world. I had classmates from India, Japan, China, in addition to people from all over this country. Gaming is becoming a way for people to identify across cultures. I may not exactly share the same cultural background as my Indian friends, but when we're playing FIFA on the Xbox 360 all our cultural differences go out the window and we just have a great time together. This is an important perspective to understand because people who make games today are not limited to just people from a homogenized culture. Instead, the gaming industry is growing to include people from many different cultures, this therefore may expand how we create games. In the future, I believe that video games will become more diverse in their art and thematic elements.

The game design course taught me so much. I thank everyone for such a wonderful experience, one I know I'll never forget. Now I know that my work will not come from an ivory tower perspective, but instead in a way that accounts for the complexities behind game creation.

Black Ops II: The Trend to Kill Rental Servers from PC Gaming

So, I need to write this blog post since I wrote previously about my excitement for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Well it seems that Treyarch decided to "clarify" there previous statement regarding dedicated servers only a month before release -- which was unknown to me before the game's launch. What Treyarch apparently meant by dedicated servers is that they would be running all of them. What they failed to mention before is that there would be no rental servers for gamers. This is the one aspect, besides playing with a mouse and keyboard, that made the PC version standout to its console brethren. Instead, Treyarch went the way of Infinity Ward and now no longer support the love for renting servers for gamers to enjoy.

Now surprisingly, some people prefer this method. As Treyarch argued, controlling servers prevents hacking since the server files are not distributed to rental server companies. Some gamers see this as a way to even the playing field and prevent people from taking advantage of learning the games code. Others see it as a way to prevent "hegemonic" admins in rental servers from harassing gamers. They believed that admins abused their power on their rental servers because they are usually run by a clan who prefers a specific type of game play, and as a result, prevented gamers from playing the game the way the game was "intended."

I wholeheartedly disagree with these arguments. Hacking will never go away in any facet of the imagination -- heck, I use XIM when playing on the 360 which allows me to use a mouse and keyboard. Having to play with random people in the matchup system employed in CoD ensures that you will eventually run into a hacker. That is why admins were a great asset to gaming: they were able to police such annoying gamers from disrupting the online experience. Rather than having to put up with a hacker, you could directly report it to the admin who would in turn boot the offending player off the rented server.

Also, in my experience, admins on these servers rarely abuse their power. It is not to say that aren't a few problematic admins with a Napoleon complex, it is to say that you are more likely to see a hacker through CoD's match-up system than power hungry admins. These admins were for the most part great at staying in the background only coming to light when people become problematic. In my 8+ years of playing FPS online, I rarely ever have seen enough admins abuse his or her authority to ruin the entire online experience in a similar way people can ruin playing on Xbox Live.

One last gripe I like to address regarding rental servers is that admins will control the type of game play preferred on the server. For example, some people like playing on a "crouch" server where the server's owners discourage run and gunning, and instead encourage a more tactical feel to the game. With CoD's match-up system, this style enjoyed by many gamers is taken away. And for this reason, it only ensures a vanilla style of game play for all.

What is therefore being taken away from the gaming experience is choice. Some people like playing the same map over and over again, like the original Nuketown that had 24/7 servers. Some enjoy playing solely on hardcore servers with various game modes. Some enjoy reducing game weapons the server's owner feels negatively affects a game's balance. Some want the choice of playing with more mature gamers who don't spout out the foulest word they know. Because Treyarch and Activision have done all they can to defeat rental servers for the so-called sake of preventing hackers, choice is thus sent away for vanilla, "hacker-free,"  online experience.

Well hopefully this trend ends. Till then I will play BF3 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter to get my rental server fix. What are your thoughts?

Off to Present a Paper at the NCA Conference in Orlando

This Friday I will be presenting a paper at the National Communication Association conference in Orlando, FL. This paper examines video games and consumption. Specifically, I argue that avatars in MMOs have become a way for people to display consumption and class. In order to illuminate this idea, I used Thorstein Veblen's idea of conspicuous and emulative consumption.

Ultimately, my research explores how video games are a substitute for the American Dream. To clarify this idea, video games allows us to be successful through hard work in these virtual worlds. In a life in which we work hard yet don't own what we produce, video games gives us that means to control what we produce. Video games becomes our American Dream because hard work ultimately is our own rather than someone else's.

This distinction further pushes ideas of class. In my research, I look at how hardcore gamers feel that, because they are able to consume video games more than others, they should benefit more fully form their hard work than casual gamers in MMOs. For example, when World of Warcraft introduced "Welfare Epics," hardcore gamers were irate  They felt that their hard work deserved them more rewards than others who are not able to put in the time to ascertain such items. The hardcore gamers thus equate the negative connotations associated with welfare with easier access to such rewards for casual gamers.

Furthermore, Star Wars Galaxies saw its destruction based on superseding the hard work of hardcore gamers. When they introduced the New Game Enhancements that allowed anyone to become a Jedi, which before could only be ascertained through investing months gaming, gamers were angered by Sony's decision and as a result left in droves. Gamers here saw their hard work to become a Jedi a waste because now anyone could easily become a Jedi in the game.

Consumption in games is the basis of all games: games are all about obtaining rewards through hard work. As a result, it becomes a means to display class. Don't you want to brag to your friends about your level 90 monk with amazing looking cloak or that you prestiged in Call of Duty for the sixth time?

Anyway, it's fun to take a deeper look at how culture is reflected through video games. And if you happen to be at NCA this year, hopefully you'll be able to take the time to drop by and see my presentation.

Now it's time to finish packing!

I've Got the Call of Duty Fever Again...

It's that time of the year again folks! Here comes another rendition of the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops part deux. To be honest, I really liked the original Black Ops. For me, I very much enjoyed how the game provided balanced weapons (for the most part), exciting but not n00b crippling unlocks, and unique, fun maps -- who doesn't love Nuketown? All this made it the best iteration of the franchise since CoD:MW, which was the game that reinvented how we see FPSs today.

But if you're like me, you are praying that this rendition will be much better than MW3. As a PC gamer, MW3 was a huge disappointment. First off, Infinity Ward decided not to include ranked, dedicated servers. Dedicated servers are great and really help with the enjoyment of FPS games (which I would love to one day see implemented in console gaming). Why? Well instead of constantly having to play against clan-boys with a team of random players, prepubescent adolescence who have no discretion on their choice of words and how often they say them, or even hackers, dedicated servers lets gamers regulate the server to reduce such problematic gamers. Plus, it is fun to become a regular on a server where gamers are civil but yet bring a fun, competitive environment. However, MW3 decided to shun PC gamers and only humor us with unranked servers.

Furthermore, besides the lack of dedicated servers, the weapons in MW3 were dreadfully unbalanced. For instance, when gamers are able to pick off an opponent from a long distance with a sub-machine gun, yet with an assault rifle a player can't hit the broadside of an aircraft carrier, then there is a problem. This aspect of the game ruined the experience for me. The amount of people using duel weapons also made me wish I had saved my money. After a while, the only avatars you would see ruling the battlefield were ones that were duel wielding  I can't remember how many countless times I witnessed my death via Kill Cam in which a gamer was duel wielding sub-machine guns. If one type of weapon rules them all, then what's the point of having various unlocks?

Finally, the maps were for me unremarkable. There wasn't one map that really stood out. Additionally, most of these maps felt like you were trying to have a knife fight in a phone booth (man this phrase shows my age).  The maps were very small and led to hectic and unorganized firefights.

Luckily for us, MW3 is a thing of the past and just around the corner comes Black Ops II to save the day. Black Ops II will feature dedicated servers (for PC users of course), what looks to be a diverse set of maps, as well as some fun unlocks. Plus the new zombie mode looks like a great way to spend an evening when desiring a break from competitive multiplayer action.

Sorry for my postmortem on MW3. With all the headaches MW3 caused my mind, I really hope that Black Ops II picks up where it left off and becomes a great extension to the CoD name so we can once again have faith in the CoD franchise.

So what are your thoughts on Black Ops II?